Our school has banned the word Christmas?

[Fayethefair]

I’ve heard from a friend on my DD’s school’s ptfa that our Cambridgeshire school has banned the word Christmas to make the school events feel more inclusive. So now it’s Festive Party, Festive Fayre etc. I’m happy to let mumsnet know the name of the school if they don’t feel this post is genuine so they can check this themselves but I won’t put names on here as this is my child’s school, I just don’t think this right and want to see what others think.

My daughter attended a Diwali lunch put on by the school recently and I genuinely thought this was lovely. I feel everything should be represented equally, I don’t understand or agree that the head should be picking and choosing what’s allowed and what isn’t. Surely this isn’t right?

By burning & hanging innocent women who happened to know a bit about herbal remedies.

I must've missed this in the news. Do you have a link?

Which religions without murder over interpretation of a few words are you hanging your hat on there, chief?

Buddhism, most branches of Paganism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism.....

In fact, the only 2 I can think of off hand which regularly hold religious wars against other sects of their own over-arching religion are both Abrahamic - Christianity and Islam.

The funny thing is I've never seen a Mumsnet post re Christmas where anyone was complaining that a request from someone/arrangements with ex etc upset their plans to attend church. It's always opening presents/food arrangements etc. sod all to do with celebrating Christ.

Yet again, for those at the back:

"Winterval" was the name given to a season of events held in Birmingham in...Winter. The winters of 1997 and 1998 to be precise. Switching on the Christmas lights - and it was called "Switching on the Christmas lights" - was one of those event, among many others. The name Winterval was a marketing tool to drive up visitor numbers.

The Daily Express, who else, decided to openly lie in pursuit of its bigoted agenda, and claimed that Birmingham Council had "banned" Christmas and any mention of the word "Christmas". Despite the marketing material for Winterval specifically using the word Christmas. The hard-of-thinking who buy, read and believe the Express naturally fell for the lie.

So, when you say "I’m reminded of the time some council (Birmingham?) decided to rename Christmas as ‘Winterval’, which only provoked much derision, and the policy was later dropped." you're absolutely wrong - wrong about Winterval being "a policy", wrong about Birmingham "deciding" to "rename" Christmas, wrong about Birmingham changing its mind because of derison. As a very quick google would have shown you.

People are always saying that Christianity is being eroded and Christians are being discriminated against in the UK. But nobody can ever give an example. You would have thought that if it was happening it would be easy to say in what way.

I DO hope you're trying to be a bit amusing there. Either that, or you've missed a very large part of history over the witchcraft trials of the 14th to 17th centuries in Britain, mainland Europe and the US.

Rylan did an interesting 3-parter with Alice Roberts recently about the witchcraft trials in Essex, and the self styled "witchfinder general". Ever heard about the kefuffle in Salem, Massachusetts? The Pendle witch trials? Have a quick Google about witch persecutions, the info isn't hard to find.

Thank you. Shall we take turns? I’ll post somethibg like this on the next thread-which will probably
pop up on Wednesday!

Indeed over 600 posts and not one credible example despite several posters asking. Just a lot of posters falling over themselves to be offended at nothing more than hearsay.

So, we're using events that happened 700 years ago as an example of the evils of Christianity? I mean, it's not quite comparable to the Manchester Arena bombing is it.

As far as I was aware saying you can’t use a certain word is the same as banning it?

The school or school district is NOT saying that no one can say "Christmas", though. If Ms Terwilliger wants to tell her students she's going to her Gran's house on Christmas Eve, not one is going to contradict her. If pupils tell each other they're going to the Bahamas for Christmas or share their Christmas lists or talk about going Christmas caroling or being in the Christmas pageant at their church, that's all perfectly fine. It's just that the school authorities have decided to rename THEIR seasonal winter events to something more general. If you contend that they should not be allowed to do this, are you not yourself advocating against freedom of choice and freedom of speech?

Based on basic established manners and etiquette in the UK, one wishes happy holidays (whatever the type) to people who celebrate; rather than rudely wishing them happy (whatever the speaker's holiday is that they don't also celebrate). So if you want a loosely defined group of people to attend and feel welcome at a seasonal event, you give it more general name rather than one from a specific religious tradition. Simples.

I'm sure some would say that the responses ITT are a good example. Do you think other cultures indulge in the same level of hand wringing over inclusivity that we do? I say this as an atheist who often struggles not to question the critical thinking skills of most religious people.

Nobody has banned Christmas

Imagine showing off about how much you raised at a Christmas fair 25 years ago 😂

Oh look at that Username!
Bore off
🎄🧑🏻‍🎄

Well Christianity uses events that happened 2000 years ago ...

That's a bit like saying "well, Israel drop bombs on the innocent".

It's just hard to take people seriously when they try and use events from the middle ages as some kind of character reference. It's a bit like the people that think we should pay reparations to dictator-run countries that are hugely involved in modern slavery just because we did the same hundreds of years ago.

There are kids who can’t take part in events if they are overtly Christmas themed. So calling them something else means everyone can play. I just can’t see why that’s not a thoroughly good thing to do. There were several families of Witnesses at our Primary school-we had Spring and Winter parties and fairs so they could join in.

Well Christians obvs, it's not that hard to work out surely?

If everybody, as OP says, joined in Diwali celebrations without giving that a generic name why can't the same be done for Christmas?

Why is OK to keep one but not the other?

Why would you be against a school acknowledging Dawali, a major Hindu (and Sikh and Jain) festival unless pupils of said school are majority Muslim?

And you do realise the purpose of schools is to educate pupils, to teach them about the very big world outside their classroom walls, to inform them about how some of the other 8bn people on the planet live?

Christmas Day will still be called Christmas Day.

So Christian festivals have to be renamed and adapted in order to accommodate people of other religions who can't adapt because of their rigid religions. Oh, the irony...

No one is getting rid of any celebrations though so it's pointless people getting offended on the behalf of Christians. Especially considering the events being renamed have as has been pointed out repeatedly got absolutely nothing to do with actual Christian celebrations.

What is Easter called now? Or Christmas Day?

They just renaming a fair that sells Christmas gifts and treats.

But why should Christians be offended when even their own god isn't? If god was offended he would sent locusts or turn the water into blood, or all the first borns would die like when he angry in the past.

Christians and indeed plenty of non-Christians celebrate Christmas with no 'bans' or pressures otherwise. Indeed, schools close for a period to permit them to do so.They don't close for Diwali.